St. Joseph was founded in 1835 by businessmen from nearby Apalachicola, which was troubled by legal conflict over land titles.

[4] It was mostly abandoned in 1841, after a yellow fever epidemic; a storm surge produced by a hurricane in 1844 destroyed what structures remained.

On September 15, 1862, a Union army officer on board the USS Kingfisher wrote that he and his men had sent a demand to the extensive salt works at Saint Joseph that they cease production.

[6] In the early 20th century, a new settlement was founded close to the original after the arrival of the Apalachicola Northern Railroad in 1909.

[7] Port St. Joe is located in southern Gulf County at 29°48′29″N 85°17′52″W / 29.80806°N 85.29778°W / 29.80806; -85.29778 (29.807968, –85.297684),[8] within the Florida Panhandle and along the Emerald Coast.

Florida State Road 71 (Cecil G. Costin Sr. Boulevard) leads northeast 24 miles (39 km) to Wewahitchka.

[12] As of the 2010 United States census, there were 3,445 people, 1,544 households, and 946 families residing in the city.

The library is co-located with the senior citizens center, sheriff's office, courthouse, and animal shelter off State Road 71.

In light of the latter, most of its 96-mile (154 km) mainline consisted of heavy duty, 140-pound (64 kg) rail on concrete ties.

State Road 71 connects Port St. Joe northward toward Alabama and Georgia, including providing access to Interstate 10 which is 72 miles (116 km) away.